The Museum of Local Lore of Tyumen began its existence in 1879 with the collection of a local historian, a researcher of the Siberian region, a major scientist I. Ya. Slovtsov. One of the oldest museums in Siberia once opened with a small exhibition within the walls of a city real school.
GAUK TO "Museum complex named after I. Ya. Slovtsov"
From the day of its foundation until 2008, the Tyumen Regional Museum was an autonomous institution. In 2008, it was enlarged by merging with the Tyumen Museum of Fine Arts, combining funds with valuable collections. Two years later, the museum duet was reorganized and entered the newly formed large cultural institution of the Tyumen region under the name "Museum Complex named after Ivan Yakovlevich Slovtsov." Created in June 2010 by order of the governor, the complex brought together five Tyumen museums, each of which owned collections of valuable exhibits and was the keeper of the historical and cultural heritage of the region.
The new building of the complex. St. Sovetskaya, 63
The construction of a new building for the museum association with an area of 29 thousand square meters was begun in 1996 and lasted twenty years. It has large exhibition halls and modern storage facilities.
In November 2018, part of the departments moved to a new building, whose employees are working on creating exhibits. In the old building of the former City Duma of Tyumen, the local history museum still displays two permanent exhibits: “A Window into the Nature” and “The War Years”. Exhibitions and competitions are organized, thematic meetings are held.
The history of the museum in Tyumen
The museum in Tyumen appeared in the second half of the 19th century, when two historical components coincided. The Siberian region with the pace of its development and distinctive culture began to play a prominent role in the economic, cultural and political life of Russia. In addition, the educational and scientific needs of society have increased. In Tyumen, among the representatives of the city intelligentsia, there was a man who organized the work on the creation of the museum.
Ivan Yakovlevich Slovtsov - a real state adviser, a passionate collector, the most educated person was born and raised in Tyumen. Having received a good education, he returned to Siberia and began to teach at the Omsk military gymnasium. He knew and loved his native land from childhood, was interested in archeology and local history, went on expeditions and collected collections about nature, archaeological artifacts, books.
In 1879, Ivan Yakovlevich was appointed to the post of director of the Alexander Real School in Tyumen. He brought with him a collection packed in 32 bales weighing 200 pounds (more than three tons). The school has not yet been completed, and therefore the first Slovtsov exhibition was opened in the house of the merchant Voynov at the intersection of Tsarskaya and Podaruyevskaya Streets (now Republics and Semakov).
The development of the local history museum of Tyumen
First of all, the museum was opened as a teaching tool, for better students' perception of information. Ivan Yakovlevich taught history and geography. Several rooms were allocated for the exhibition, and along with the area, the number of samples presented increased. But for visitors, outside the school, the museum was inaccessible. The Tyumen merchant N. M. Chukmaldin bought a part of the collection from Slovtsov and offered to open a city museum for all curious people on its basis. But at the same time, he made a condition: the City Duma should allocate funds for the construction of a new building for the museum. There was no money. Then the philanthropist simply presented the collection to a real school.
Already in Soviet times, in 1922, a room was found for the museum - it was placed in the building of the former City Duma, where it has been located to this day. Part of the collection of I. Ya. Slovtsov was in his funds.
Soviet and modern museum
Until 1919 the museum was closed. Since 1920, he changed his name and subordination several times, but he worked stably, fulfilling his functions, replenishing collections.
During the Great Patriotic War, the museum building was needed to house a military hospital. At the same time, part of the collections was mothballed in warehouses, some were transferred for storage to state institutions, and exhibits from precious metals were transferred to the country's fund for the needs of the front. The Tyumen Museum of Local Lore re-opened in 1943; its first exhibition after the break was the theme of World War II.
In the 50s of the last century the following departments worked in the museum: nature, pre-revolutionary history of the region, Soviet history. Sources for replenishing the collections were scientific and research missions of employees.
At the beginning of the XXI century, the museum's funds number about 225 items. Over the past years, the museum has supported the multidisciplinary study of local lore orientation, which was originally laid down in it. 180-200 thousand visitors pass through its halls annually. Their reviews about the local history museum of Tyumen are the most positive.
City Duma building
The building, which housed the local history museum for a long time, is an architectural and historical monument designed by P.I. Praman. It was built since 1828 for six years at the expense of local residents. Supervised the construction of the tradesman Mitrofan Bobkov.
The building is located on a historic site. Experts say that it stands not just on the territory of the Tyumen prison, but that it was here that the governor's hut was. In the 19th century, wine cellars were built in the basement of the building, and on the two ground floors, in addition to the Duma, there were a court, an elder, a craft government and an archive.
The building looks great, the columns give it harmony, a high staircase and a stepped attic.
Museum clock
A clock is installed above the cornice of the building, which is also a museum exhibit. They were made in 1867 by a special decree of the governor, a village peasant, craftsman Alexei Trusov. For the sample, he took the chimes of the Moscow Kremlin. The clock emitted a bell ring every 15 minutes. The bells were simply tied to the clock mechanism. The design was fragile and the ringing fell silent. Already in the 50s of the 20th century, the watchmaker Alexey Galkin tweaked the mechanism and the watch began to beat time again.
Today, the watch is launched by employees of the Tyumen Museum of Local Lore under a regime that saves a valuable exhibit. The mechanism can work only in the warm season, from May to October, as at low temperatures the hands, once made manually, freeze. As for the bells that had previously played the national anthem, they can call back only with a manual start, which is sometimes done by museum workers to check the mechanism.
"Window to the nature"
This is the name of the permanent exposition of the Tyumen Museum of Local Lore at the following address: ul. Lenin, 2.
She acquaints visitors with the nature of the Tyumen region. Archaeological finds confirming the residence of people here in distant ages, stuffed animals and birds inhabiting the Siberian region, samples of plants and insects. Of great interest is the collection of exotic butterflies.
But the most valuable are the exhibits found during archaeological excavations. These are the skeletons of a mammoth, cave bear, woolly rhinoceros and broad-faced elk.
The skeleton of a mammoth, whose name is “Ivanitch,” was personally found by I. Ya. Slovtsov. Moreover, this is an almost complete skeleton of one beast, that is, 80% of the bones belong to this particular individual.
The huge skeleton of a cave bear demonstrates how menacing and terrible he was during his lifetime. By the way, he lived in these parts in the ice age. According to the length of its paws, scientists calculated the speed it develops, up to 64 kilometers per hour.
"Tyumen - War - Great Victory!"
This museum exposition shows in chronological order the pre-war recreation park of Tyumen, the operating room of the Tyumen hospital, and the interior of the family room of the war veteran. The guide's story is accompanied by sound effects. In addition, visitors are offered letters from the front, military awards, photographs and documents.
Opening hours of the Tyumen Local Lore Museum: from 11-00 to 20-00, the day off is Monday.